The rift at Shiv Sena comes after the BJP managed to elect its fifth candidate to the Maharashtra Legislative Council on June 20 regardless of not having sufficient members. Election to 10 seats was necessitated by the resignation of 9 members – NCP’s Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar and Sanjay Daund, BJP’s Pravin Darekar, Sujitsinh Thakur and Prasad Lad, Shiv Sena’s Subhash Desai and Diwakar Raote, Vinayak Mete and Sadabhau Khot and the demise by BJP MLA RN Singh. Competitors between the BJP and Congress for a seat was so as as the previous put ahead an extra candidate.
Whereas BJP’s Darekar Ram Shinde, Uma Khapre and Shrikant Bharatiya, NCP’s Nimbalkar and Eknath Khadse, and Shiv Sena’s Sachin Ahir and Amshya Padvi gained on the premise of first choice votes, an uphill battle ensued between the congressional candidates and the BJP. Though Mumbai Congress President Bhai Jagtap finally gained, Devendra Fadnavis’ shut advisor Lad emerged victorious, ensuing within the defeat of first-choice congressional candidate Chandrakant Handore.
